In vitro anti-neuroinflammatory and antioxidant activities of mushroom supercritical CO2 extracts

• Mushroom supercritical fluid extracts were enriched in linoleic acid and ergosterol • G. lucidum and H. erinaceus extracts demonstrated high cellular antioxidant activity • Mushroom extracts reduced secretion of proinflammatory cytokines in THP-1/M cells • Neuroinflammation in BV2 cells was reduced by all mushroom extracts • Ergosta-7,22-dien-3-ol was more active than ergosterol to reduce neuroinflammation • Results support the neuroprotective potential of mushroom supercritical extracts Edible-medicinal mushroom extracts have emerged as a source of bioactive compounds with potential neuroprotective effects due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. This study proposed the use of supercritical fluid technology (SFE) to obtain non-polar compounds with neuroprotective potential from eight edible-medicinal mushrooms. All supercritical mushroom extracts were enriched in fatty acids and sterols, mainly linoleic acid and ergosterol. G. lucidum and H. erinaceus extracts presented the highest levels of cellular antioxidant activity (CAA), which was associated with the presence of both linoleic acid and ergosterol. At 15 µg/mL, all mushroom extracts also significantly decreased the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines in the THP-1/M model. This activity was associated with the presence of ergosterol, although linoleic acid and other minor compounds, e.g. ergosta-7,22-dien-3-ol and oleic acid, also contributed. Using microglial cells, mushroom extracts also decreased TNF-α and IL-6 secretion, although to a lesser extent than in the THP-1/M model. In microglial cells, ergosta-7,22-dien-3-ol exhibited a higher activity than ergosterol. The anti-inflammatory, anti-neuroinflammatory and antioxidant activities found in mushroom supercritical extracts supported the use of supercritical fluid technology as a green technique to obtain extracts with potential neuroprotective bioactivite properties.